Police Precincts Host Open House Meetings

(Memphis) Thursday night, Memphis police precincts across the city opened their doors for public meetings with citizens.

Many people had questions about the realignment of precinct boundaries taking effect in January. The shift affects some residents, as they may be a covered by a different precinct.

The newest precinct on Crump Boulevard will take the place of the one on Union Avenue.

At each of these meetings, many wondered whether they would see the same officers patrol their streets.

They were assured that many of the same officers who know them, and know the criminals in the area, would continue to patrol the same places.

Terry Howard, who will soon be covered by the Mt. Moriah precinct instead of Airways, told a crowded room he felt like he was coming to a funeral Thursday night.

“They’re good with crime and helping you with the community. That’s what I love about Airways station,” Howard said.

Officers told him he would see the same level of dedication from the Mt. Moriah precinct.

An officer told the Airways residents: “We’re trying to reallocate manpower, so that this colonel, and the colonel at Mt. Moriah, and the colonel at Raines station have the same amount of resources. Because all of you deserve equal amount of police service.”

In fact, the Airways station had a much higher call volume than many other stations. With the redrawn lines, the number of calls per officer would drop dramatically.

Other residents had questions about how to handle crime that they suspect. Police encouraged them to communicate with them more often, to have them call 545-COPS or their local precinct number.